The present invention relates to a terminals synchronizing method for synchronizing a plurality of terminals interconnected by a communication line. The present invention relates to a communication system including a plurality of terminals interconnected by a communication line. Furthermore, the present invention relates to terminal devices interconnected by a communication line.
Recently, games played through communication line (such games will be hereinafter called network games) are noted. Network games in which car races are competed by a plurality of game players on a plurality of game apparatuses installed side by side in game centers or others and interconnected to one another through communication line are known as popular games.
In a case of game apparatuses installed side by side in a game center or others, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of network game apparatuses 101, 102, 103 are interconnected directly to one another by a cable, and one, e.g., the network game apparatus 101, of the network game apparatuses 101, 102, 103 is a host. The host network game apparatus 101 supplies synchronizing signals to the rest network game apparatuses 102, 103, and the rest network game apparatuses 102, 103 time a start of game processing with the synchronizing signals. The network game apparatuses 101, 102, 103, which are installed near one another, have little delay due to interconnection by the cable, and good synchronizing control can be realized.
Recently especially noted are network games played on game apparatuses geographically spaced from one another by connecting the game apparatuses to networks, such as interest, etc., through communication line, such as telephone line. Furthermore are proposed network games which will be played by connecting not only game apparatuses installed in game centers, etc. but also domestic game apparatuses to networks.
However, in a case of geographically spaced game apparatuses, delays of the communication line, the networks, etc. are large, which makes it impossible to use the above-described method to synchronize the game apparatuses with the host game apparatus.
Accordingly, in network games by connecting geographically spaced game apparatuses to networks, the respective game apparatus make data processing and image processing in synchronization with signals of their own transmitters. Also in communicating with the rest game apparatuses and the center, the respective game apparatuses communicate at a certain interval (1 int) with respect to a signal of their own transmitters. The respective game apparatuses take in data supplied by the rest game apparatuses to make data processing and image processing.
However, the transmitters of the respective game apparatuses have errors with respect to the transmitters of the rest game apparatuses, and the respective game apparatuses have communication intervals different from one another. Resultantly, when the errors are accumulated, the respective game apparatuses cannot receive data from the respective game apparatuses and cannot make data processing and image processing. Thus, even when high-speed data communication is realized, for games requiring precise timing control, suitable game processing cannot be made due to the timing offset.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for synchronizing terminals which can suitably synchronize timings of communication among a plurality of terminals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication system which can suitably synchronize timings of the communication among a plurality of terminals.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device which can synchronize communication timings.